The 7/8-sized Dean Playmate J Acoustic Guitar is the perfect starter guitar for young beginners. The traditional-construction Dean Playmate has a smooth set mahogany neck small enough for little hands. The neck is topped by a rosewood fretboard with 18 frets. The Playmate guitar even has a large cutaway for those early exploratory leads. Quality chrome tuners and a distinctive bridge design make for smooth looks and performance.

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Bought this Dean Playmate J 7/8 for two main reasons: I sold a Fender acoustic a few years ago which I've always regretted, and I desperately wanted a new acoustic guitar but was...Read complete review

Bought this Dean Playmate J 7/8 for two main reasons: I sold a Fender acoustic a few years ago which I've always regretted, and I desperately wanted a new acoustic guitar but was also working with a very tight budget. I've played Deans owned by friends in the past and really enjoyed them, so when I saw this one going for a very reasonable price I just couldn't pass it up. I have to say I was quite pleasantly surprised once I got it tuned up. My son, who is an active guitar player, was just as impressed with the tone as I was, even with the factory strings on it. The gluing and finish are just a tad on the rough side, but otherwise it is a gorgeous instrument. The navy blue sunburst is much darker than the pictures show, and you have to have it under some fairly bright lights to actually make it out, but it is beautiful nonetheless. So far it has stayed in tune pretty well right out of the box, but I still can't wait to get some D'Addario custom lights on it. Haven't really had it long enough to see if the build quality is going to hold up, but we'll see, as so far it seems sturdy enough. I mainly opted for the 7/8 because I had back surgery recently and the size allows me to play more easily sitting up in bed as opposed to a full concert sized acoustic. Besides, I'm just starting out again and it is perfect for that purpose. For the money you can definitely do a lot worse. After I get back on my feet it will probably be relegated to a travel guitar, but I honestly believe were it ever to break I'd certainly buy another one. All in all I think it was worth every penny.

VS

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Very disappointed!

I have played and owned fairly inexpensive Dean guitars and basses and was an amp tech at a Dean dealer. I have never seen anything of this poor quality in our store. I...Read complete review

I have played and owned fairly inexpensive Dean guitars and basses and was an amp tech at a Dean dealer. I have never seen anything of this poor quality in our store. I bought this guitar to replace a student's Rogue acoustic (purchased for $35 here last Christmas) that was burned in a fire. I thought this would be an upgrade. Wrong. This guitar is a cheap piece of junk.The finish is cheesy dull blue. The edges are damaged including a big dent on the lower front edge, chewed up edges on the fingerboard, brass frets too short for the width of the fingerboard, extremely high action and the saddle is already too low to lower further. The tuners are junk and very rough feeling. The chewed up fretboard edges and chips in the fingerboard were touched up with a sharpie pen which appear purplish against the flat black paint on the fingerboard. There is no strap button. What value is a guitar so badly built it shouldn't have left any factory or business? It is not worth the sale price of $54 much less the regular price of $69 MF usually has it at. The quality of this guitar is what you would see at as a prize at a cheap amusement ball throw at a county fair. I would pass this guitar up if I found it for $5 at a thrift store.

Picked this up for a 7 year olds first guitar, as the stupid deal of the day. For the price it's a very nice little guitar to learn on. Its a pit tingy in the sound but no innotation (sp). Holds a tune reasonably well, but being small sounds awful out of tune. Bright sound with a narrow fretboard, great for small hands. Finish is very nice, decent quality, especially for the price! No real features, excluding the small size of the guitar.Low price for the stupid deal of the day on my doorstep.

I have played and owned fairly inexpensive Dean guitars and basses and was an amp tech at a Dean dealer. I have never seen anything of this poor quality in our store. I bought this guitar to replace a student's Rogue acoustic (purchased for $35 here last Christmas) that was burned in a fire. I thought this would be an upgrade. Wrong. This guitar is a cheap piece of junk.The finish is cheesy dull blue. The edges are damaged including a big dent on the lower front edge, chewed up edges on the fingerboard, brass frets too short for the width of the fingerboard, extremely high action and the saddle is already too low to lower further. The tuners are junk and very rough feeling. The chewed up fretboard edges and chips in the fingerboard were touched up with a sharpie pen which appear purplish against the flat black paint on the fingerboard. There is no strap button. What value is a guitar so badly built it shouldn't have left any factory or business? It is not worth the sale price of $54 much less the regular price of $69 MF usually has it at. The quality of this guitar is what you would see at as a prize at a cheap amusement ball throw at a county fair. I would pass this guitar up if I found it for $5 at a thrift store.

I just got my Dean Playmate today in the natural finish, and it will be perfect for what I bought it for; not as a beater, but as a guitar I don't have to worry about like a more expensive guitar, plus I was low on funds and had to have something to play around on after I pawned my electric. This guitar is very light and easy to play laying down, sitting, or standing (even without the benefit of a strap). I can take it anywhere with ease, and it is very easy to get to those higher notes with its cutaway design. It is great for kids of course or individuals with smaller hands. I'm gonna let my son have this guitar to start out on when he gets a bit older. I did have to straighten the neck with mine out of the box, but that was no problem. After that, I found that, for me, the action needed to be adjusted as well. I had my guitar repair man sand down the bottom of the saddle ever so slightly to fix that problem; he didn't even charge me for it. Anyway, this guitar stays in tune pretty well, the intonation is great, and the sound and tone it produces is as good as any. One significant disappointment that I had with this guitar was the fact that there is no inlay design around the sound hole like there is in the picture; All it has is two black double rings. I guess I'll get over it. All in all, a quality instrument for the price.

I purchased this for my wife when she expressed an interest in learning to play the guitar. It is a fine beginner instrument, better than average. I liken it to a Chinese made, modern day "Stella" with the plain plywood top, painted "fretboard" and glued and bolted bridge. Because of the 7/8 size it is not overwhelming for an average sized woman. The neck is easy to learn chords on. The sound is actually somewhat loud but, remember this is a cheap guitar so kind of "tinny" and if not in tune very irritating (please buy an electronic tuner for your beginner!). The tuners are cheap but tunable and stay in tune while playing for the most part. The action is good as it is low with minimal buzz and allows learning with a low level of pain while "newby" callouses develop. There are no strap pegs or end pins to use strap with, The gig bag has no padding at all. Over all a sturdy, manageable, beginner guitar. I read that some more experienced players keep one as a "beater". There are much better choices for that.

I have bought 2 of these little guitars. One as a gift for a friends daughter and one for myself as a beater. I have personally had very good luck with them. I actually ended up giving my "beater" away but have missed it constantly. I have around 30 other guitars so I don't need another one, but I am going to buy this one again.

Bought this Dean Playmate J 7/8 for two main reasons: I sold a Fender acoustic a few years ago which I've always regretted, and I desperately wanted a new acoustic guitar but was also working with a very tight budget. I've played Deans owned by friends in the past and really enjoyed them, so when I saw this one going for a very reasonable price I just couldn't pass it up. I have to say I was quite pleasantly surprised once I got it tuned up. My son, who is an active guitar player, was just as impressed with the tone as I was, even with the factory strings on it. The gluing and finish are just a tad on the rough side, but otherwise it is a gorgeous instrument. The navy blue sunburst is much darker than the pictures show, and you have to have it under some fairly bright lights to actually make it out, but it is beautiful nonetheless. So far it has stayed in tune pretty well right out of the box, but I still can't wait to get some D'Addario custom lights on it. Haven't really had it long enough to see if the build quality is going to hold up, but we'll see, as so far it seems sturdy enough. I mainly opted for the 7/8 because I had back surgery recently and the size allows me to play more easily sitting up in bed as opposed to a full concert sized acoustic. Besides, I'm just starting out again and it is perfect for that purpose. For the money you can definitely do a lot worse. After I get back on my feet it will probably be relegated to a travel guitar, but I honestly believe were it ever to break I'd certainly buy another one. All in all I think it was worth every penny.

i got this guitar today and i love it! the color is beautiful and it sounds great. it's a great size for kids. i was looking at a few other guitars and laid my eyes on this when i first saw it. the price is affordable as well.

This guitar is a great buy; The size is perfect for kids 9 & up. The strings are good, I would probably recomend new strings but the ones that come with it are fine. I have been playing the guitar for about a year and I still love this one. Yes, very good value.